The month-long period of fasting requires Muslims to refrain from eating or drinking during daylight hours. The team is predominantly Muslim, as is the entire student body, yet they continued to practice and play.

The story struck a chord with Rashid Ghazi, who convinced the coaches and school to allow him to tell the story in documentary form.

"I know that nothing embodies the spirit of American sports more than high school football," said Mr. Ghazi, a sports-marketing consultant with Paragon Marketing in Niles. "It's not about the Bears or Northwestern. You want to play for your local high school because that's where your dad or brothers or uncles played.

"I thought this would be a cool story to tell because how could you not respect kids so committed to their sport and to their religion?"

He created North Shore Films to make the movie, which is produced by WTTW correspondent and Emmy Award winning journalist Ash-har Quraishi and his wife, Basma Babar-Quraishi. Chicagoans Ed Pickart and Ruth Leitman are editor and writer, respectively. Mr. Ghazi is director of the film.

The seemingly minor film — it cost about $300,000 to produce — with no major stars has become a darling at some of the film festivals, including Traverse City Film Festival and Manhattan Film Festival.

Last month, after seeing a film preview, President Barack Obama invited Dearborn Fordson's coach, Walker Zaban, to take part in the White House's observance of Ramadan. And this month, the film will be shown at a State Department gathering with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Broader audiences are soon to come: From Sept. 9-15, the film will play at AMC Theaters in Chicago, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York, Dallas, San Francisco and Washington D.C.

"We're excited for people to watch it," he said. "I think it will resonate."